Evaluating the Service Quality of Mobile Health Versus Clinic Based Intervention in Hearing Healthcare. A Comparative Study

Abstract

Hearing Healthcare is in midst of a paradigm shift and the use of mobile health technologies plays therefore a major role. Through the Bluetooth connectivity between the hearing aids and the smartphone with an accompanying app, the HCP can remotely access hearing aid settings during an online video session. In this study, 30 subjects were divided into a tele-audiology intervention and a clinic-based control group and followed up after an initial fitting for four weeks. At the beginning, structured interviews were used to determine the expectations on the service quality of a Hearing Aid Company, and these were compared with the actual perceived performances at the end of the study using the SERVQUAL model. Various advantages and disadvantages of both forms of intervention were identified. It could be concluded that a combination of both variants ensures the greatest possible perception of service quality.

The Role of Personal Assistance in the Uptake of Smartphone-Based Tele-Audiology—An Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model

“…This effect has been scientifically proven several times and is also reflected in practice. One example in this context is the study by Ross and Wohllebe (2020), in which all subjects who received care using smartphone-based tele-audiology stated that they would also use this technology frequently in the future [14]. With regard to this statement, the survey was also able to determine that smartphone-based tele-audiology is seen as a positive trend and that participants would like to continue using this technology in the future.…”

“…On the contrary, it could even be proven that smartphone-based tele-audiology generates benefits in the area of patient engagement and service quality, especially aspects such as a more competent perception of the professional and his equipment could be clearly demonstrated beyond the expected assumptions. [14], [22]. Audiologists are generally open to use this intervention [23], even there still exist a lot of barriers which prevent a regular use in daily practice [24].…”

“…With regard to smartphone-based tele-audiology, no detrimental effects were found in audiological terms compared to traditional care in the clinic [6]. In the area of service quality, it was even determined that this form of care should be regularly integrated into the traditional process in order to achieve the greatest possible patient satisfaction [14]. HCPs stated that they are generally open to using tele-audiology, yet a variety of barriers still exist that severely limit its use [15].…”

Assessing Subjective Visual Vertical Reliability: A Comparison of the “Bucket Test,” a Mobile App, and a Virtual System

“…The mean variance of each group is compared to the variance of the entire group using the F-test. If the variance within groups is less than the variation between groups, the F-test will produce a larger F-value, indicating that the difference is statistically significant [33].…”

High-Precision 3D Printing of Microporous Cochlear Implants for Personalized Local Drug Delivery

“…The traditional approach to restoring presbycusis, for example, involves the use of hearing aid devices that amplify sound waves to enhance perception by the patient. However, incomplete hearing restoration and background noise amplification lead to discomfort and long adjustment periods for the patients [4]. Another example is the use of cochlear implants to treat SNHL.…”